


You Taste Like My Favorite Song

by SaoriTwilight1000



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista Hongjoong, Chemistry Student Yunho, Dance Student Wooyoung, Fashion Student Hongjoong, Feelings Will Be Tugged, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Graphic Design Student Yeosang, Law Student Seonghwa, M/M, Mentioned GOT7 Ensemble, Mentioned ONEUS Ensemble, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Music Student Hongjoong, Music Student Jongho, Music Student Mingi, Performing Arts Student San, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends, barista san
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26744743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaoriTwilight1000/pseuds/SaoriTwilight1000
Summary: “Please… please open the door, Hongjoong…” Seonghwa pleaded with the other man as he rapped on the door weakly with his fist. His knocking having grown steadily weaker the longer he stood outside the other’s apartment.Seonghwa had no idea what else he could say to convince the other further. “Please… can you just respond? So that I at least know that you’re okay? If you truly don’t want me around, I’ll leave. You will never have to see me again.” The sandy blond took a shuddering breath inwards as he said that. It was a promise that he truly didn’t want to have to make. It hurt him so much to do so and yet he found the words leaving his lips. All for one reason and one reason only. “Please… just don’t shut me out right now.”At first the only response he got was the slight shuffling from behind the door. Then that voice he had been yearning to hear finally traveled across the wooden frame.“Stay, Hwa. Please don’t leave me alone anymore.”
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: ATEEZ College/School AUs





	You Taste Like My Favorite Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Thanks for checking out my story! 
> 
> This is going to be the first ever story that I post on here but it's not the first story I've ever written. 
> 
> I do have quite a few lovely betas that'd I'd like to acknowledge, thank you to all of the following people for all of the feedback you guys have given me. Without your help this story would not be where it is today!
> 
> Main Editor - Alpha  
> Honestly this story would be so much worse without his help. His edits always make my descriptive writing better. Check out his original works, he's an amazing writer!  
> Wattpad - @_Alpha__  
> Twitter - @_AlphaWrites__  
> 
> 
> Beta Readers Kookie  
>  My first A03 friend! Thank you so much for beta reading my chapters love!  
>  A03 - @KookieDoh
> 
> Gabi - Twitter - @GabibiPantoe
> 
> Nixa - Twitter - @Nixa36
> 
> Thank you both Gabi and Nixa for being so enthusiastic and supportive of my works. Your comments while beta reading my chapters make my day that much brighter.

#### Hongjoong

Hongjoong was honestly a bit of a mess, but that wasn’t something one would ever catch him admitting aloud in the presence of others. To be fair though the times that he was around other people were few and far between to begin with. Large crowds of people weren’t his thing at all, but more so than that, just meeting new people in general made him far too anxious.

Instead, he preferred to work alone with just him and his own busy thoughts: a common occurrence since he was working more often than not. If he wasn’t hunched over an assorted spread of music sheets, then he was reforming some random piece of clothing. Or if he wasn’t doing either of those things, he’d be holed up in his music studio like he was now. Usually hours would pass by with his hands on a keyboard, headphones on his head, a computer screen in front of him, and a cup of bitter coffee nearby to help him stay awake. With the sheer amount of creative ideas that flowed through his head, it was a wonder when he ever managed to get any sleep. 

If the young man was being honest with himself, he actually didn’t sleep that well at all. Between his music and fashion double major, his part time job at the coffee shop, and his internship at KQ Company, Hongjoong barely had the time to eat properly, let alone get enough rest that would be considered normal. But then again, he wasn’t exactly a normal person either, at least by the majority’s standards. It wasn’t that he was disabled, not at all actually. Hongjoong was just unique and it unfortunately caused him to be misunderstood quite often. 

At the moment, his focus was on his computer screen. He squinted his eyes at the bright green bars that sat along his time reel. Each one indicated a different layer of the sound he had woven together. The baseline of the song had come together nicely; it was sort of spicy with a sweet melody in contrast. Despite that, the bridge of the song bothered him to his core. It was far too sour and didn’t blend in with the rest of the song at all, completely extinguishing the other flavors in the song’s palette. On top of all of that, he had yet to even start on the lyrics for the song.

Hongjoong sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his bright red hair. An uncomfortable feeling settled deep in his gut as he continued to mess with the bridge. He was doomed if he couldn’t figure this song out. Forget getting a full score on this assignment. If he couldn’t put this song together, he was most likely going to fail the class.

That was the unfortunate reality for this particular music class he was taking. His entire grade depended on the creation of four songs throughout the semester. It was a lovely mechanic decided by the professor, the professional composer, Eden. Now, it normally wouldn’t be such a bad thing to get a subpar score on one song and then just step up his game for the remaining three. Unfortunately, Hongjoong wasn’t allowed to get a mediocre grade in the class because of one small detail. Eden was not only his professor for this class but also his mentor at KQ Company. The professional composer expected only the best from his students and had acknowledged Hongjoong’s talent as a musician. He was also one of the only people who believed that Hongjoong’s quirks made his music unique and genuinely tried to understand him. His mentor’s interest in him was far more than anyone else had really done, except for his two best friends, of course.

So like obviously no pressure or anything, Hongjoong just had to do really well on all four songs. The muscian was certain that Eden would be very disappointed in him if he failed to get a high grade in the class. That was the last thing that Hongjoong wanted, especially after everything Eden had done for him. 

Eden actually encouraged his pursuit of music which vastly contrasted the wishes his parents had for him. They expected him to pine after something more financially stable than music such as a doctor or an English teacher. The thought of his parents had his mind drifting back to the less than pleasant memories from his childhood. They had said it was all just innocent misunderstandings. They hadn’t meant to be mean, not at all.

His right hand shook a little from the recollection and he gripped it with his left to still it. Hongjoong focused on breathing deeply in and out. That was all in the past, he had to remind himself. He had more important things to focus on, such as getting this song finished. A different kind of emotion wavered over him at that thought. Just what was he going to do with this song?

Hongjoong’s despair was interrupted by a loud, tangy sound that grated on him in more ways than one. He instantly swirled around in his chair to glare at the intruder: a tall young man with dark brown hair. The intruder’s eyes flicked from Hongjoong to the door and then back again and suddenly the young man’s eyes widened in realization. 

“Ah, crap! I’m sorry, hyung. I was just so excited,” the other man apologized in a soft, refreshing voice as he ran a hand through his hair. A swirl of pink highlighted his bashful words.

Hongjoong sighed and tried to look exasperated, but the softness in his eyes revealed the fondness he had for the young man. He was one of his best friends after all. “What’s got you in such a rush, Mingi?”

“This time I’ve got it for sure. These songs you have to like,” Mingi proclaimed in his usual boisterous fashion with a pair of bright and wide eye, the usual reds and oranges bursting into view as he did so. He held out his phone and his right earbud towards Hongjoong while Mingi’s left earbud was already securely placed into his ear. 

Hongjoong eyed him skeptically as he slowly took his friend’s phone from him. A playlist had been pulled up and the first song queued up read ‘You Are’ by a group called GOT7. The words were accompanied by a gentle swirl of blue and white. “I don’t know about this, Mingi. You’ve been very sure many times before and it took me ages to reset after last time.”

Mingi winced a little at Hongjoong’s words. “Okay, I’ll admit last time was completely my fault, but I thought the new ITSY song was really good.”

“It had such sour high notes,” Hongjoong groaned. “The chorus was just repetitive and bland, not to mention the bridge was stale.” Hongjoong deadpanned back at him.

His friend held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I get it. I really messed up last time, but I promise for sure this time that you’ll like these.”

The producer sighed before he reluctantly put the right earbud in his ear. “If they end up being super weird, you are taking responsibility and rapping in my songs for the next month.”

The other smiled with an unbothered expression. “That’s fine with me. You know I always love listening to your songs, hyung.” Not that he was obsessed with the student’s songs or anything, but Mingi definitely shuffled them in with his other favorites on his personal playlist.

Hongjoong sighed at his friend’s easy agreement. “Maybe I should’ve come up with a harsher punishment, then,” he mumbled with a sigh, his dejection clear on his face. The musician reluctantly pressed ‘play’ on the little rectangular screen. At first it was just a hollow, tasteless sound that came from the earbuds which prompted Hongjoong to wrinkle his nose. Then, a steady beat built up, and with a definitive base sound, the melody of the song kicked in with a savory vengeance. The sweetness of the vocals mixed in with the melody as Hongjoong closed his eyes and put his hand over his left ear to block out any outside noise.

With his other ear blocked, it was easier for him to focus on the sound and the harmony of all the different parts mixed pleasantly with the spicy rap verses clashing just right with the sharp chorus. Hongjoong’s eyes moved back and forth underneath his eyelids as the meaning of the lyrics swirled behind his eyelids in a vibrance of vivid colors. A bursting mixture of two vibrant shades of blue appeared to complement the main vocalist while shades of orange, cyan, and red accompanied each of the distinct rappers. It was the high note on the chorus that had Hongjoong the most impressed, though. A vibrant array of multiple colors was evoked by the harmonization of the voices and the words being sung.

It was only after the song was over that Hongjoong’s eyes slowly opened, a tiny simper already on his lips. Mingi was grinning widely at his friend, his eyes shimmering coyly. The dark haired man had already known from the very beginning of the song that Hongjoong enjoyed it. If it had been another bad pick, Hongjoong would have yanked the earbud out of his ear instantly.

“I have to give it to you, Mingi,” Hongjoong started to say. “That song was beautiful.” 

“I’m so glad you liked it, hyung,” Mingi replied. “I just had this feeling that you would. Nothing weird this time?” 

Hongjoong shook his head. “No, it was actually a very pleasant mixture, almost a perfect balance. The blend was just right as well.” 

“Okay. Though if you like that song, I got to show you the rest of the songs by this group. I swear their main vocal’s ability is just breathtaking. I would love to be able to rap the way they do as well.” Mingi went on with his excitement clear on his face. Some spice mixed in with the man’s usual energizing tone.

Hongjoong simply smiled with prevalent endearment for the other. “You’ll get there one day, Mingi. You just have to keep practicing. Go ahead and show me more songs.” Yes, he still technically had his final project to work on and yes, he was still stuck on where exactly to take said project. But Hongjoong figured that he could spend just a little while longer humoring Mingi. It wasn’t often that his tall friend was able to suggest songs that he truly enjoyed, after all. The smaller man would let Mingi have his moment.

Besides, he still had a few hours left before his shift at the coffee shop. He would just have to sacrifice sleep later that evening to continue working on his song. That was totally fine with Hongjoong, though. He had long since taken up a ‘who needs sleep anyway’ sort of attitude. Seeing Mingi smile at him so radiantly was worth the eventual drowsiness.

━━━━━━━⋅❃⋅✧⋅❃⋅━━━━━━━

#### Seonghwa

Today was not working out the best for Seonghwa. Of all the days to have been late to his first lecture of the day, he just had to pick that particular day. A guest lecturer had visited his class and he was one of those old-fashioned professors who refused to upload recordings of the lecture online. This meant that the fifteen or so minutes that Seonghwa had missed would never be caught up on, at least not fully.

Luckily, his study partner, Keonhee, had sympathetically texted him pictures of his own notes to help him get caught up. Seonghwa cursed underneath his breath as he felt his stomach rumble for the hundredth time. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had time for breakfast and there was no way his dog was going to forgive him for not being able to take him on a longer walk this morning. God, he really hated Mondays. 

The law student tiredly adjusted his navy hoodie to cover his sandy blond hair as he pushed open the door to the campus coffee shop once his class was over. Usually, it would be impossible to catch Seonghwa alive in a coffee shop like this given that he didn’t really like crowds all that much. The blond also had yet to find a coffee concoction that he liked and therefore found coffee shops rather pointless especially if he could easily get sweet drinks from the supermarket. But if he wanted to stay awake for the rest of his lectures today, he was going to have to at least eat something sugary.

There wasn’t a line at the establishment with a reasonable explanation being that it was late morning and most students were still in class. Seonghwa had probably only just beat the lunch rush, which he was grateful for. He wasn’t going to be late to any other classes if he had anything to say about it. 

The sandy blond quickly located what he wanted to order on the menu up at the front and approached the counter. He identified two baristas working the counter. The one with platinum blond hair was calling names and handing out finished drinks and the one with red hair seemed to be making more drinks from the queue. The latter was the one closest to Seonghwa, so he tried to flag him down. 

He coughed to try and draw the man’s attention to him, but the red haired barista just kept making the drink he was working on. Seonghwa frowned slightly and tried to clear his throat. “Excuse me? Could I order?” His plea went unheard. It was then that the student noticed with irritation that the red haired man had earbuds in both of his ears. What kind of coffee shop employee was allowed to work while listening to music? And how loud did it have to be to drown out the voice of a patron? 

The other continued to mind his own business as he finished a drink and slid it across the counter towards his fellow barista. He then started on the next drink without a care to the fact that Seonghwa was waiting there tapping his foot as he got more impatient by the minute. “Excuse me?” he tried again. 

Instead of getting the red haired man’s attention, Seonghwa’s plea got the attention of the other barista who had just finished handing out the last order to a customer. The platinum blond noticed Seonghwa immediately and came over quickly with an apologetic smile on his face and words already spilling out of his mouth before he even got to the cashier. “I’m so sorry that I kept you waiting, what would you like to get?” 

Seonghwa was definitely ready to tear this barista a new one and to rat out the other barista for blatantly ignoring him, but all complaints died on his lips when he recognized the platinum blond. “Wait. San? I didn’t know you worked here.” Seonghwa’s tone conveyed the confusion that was mostly being shown on his face.

“Seonghwa hyung? Hey man! Long time no see!” San greeted him enthusiastically, having also recognized his friend when he had gotten closer. “Didn’t know a coffee shop like this would be your kind of place. Sorry again about keeping you waiting.”  
“No time for breakfast this morning. Wanted to grab something sugary before I jump into my afternoon classes,” he explained before jumping into his order. “Could I get three vanilla cake pops and a strawberry smoothie?” The slight smile on his face dipped away when he noticed the other barista head into the back room still without a care in the world. “What is with your coworker by the way? He totally could not hear anything I said earlier.” 

San instantly grimaced as he put Seonghwa’s order into the machine before replying with a hesitant sigh. “Sorry about hyung, he just... um... tends to get a little bit distracted sometimes. Listening to music helps him focus on preparing drinks while I handle the customers. He’s not the best at talking with other people. Your total is sixteen thousand won.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem all that fair,” Seonghwa remarked as he handed his debit card over. “Not very smart either, since while you’re handing out drinks, a line could’ve totally formed and it looks like he’d be none the wiser.” 

The barista slid Seonghwa’s card and then spun the tablet around for the law student to sign before he answered, his tone slightly sheepish. “It may seem unconventional, but I’ve worked out a system with Hongjoong hyung. It usually works pretty well.”

Seonghwa used his index to quickly sign. Then he shrugged. “Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job. I just think he’s rather rude for forcing you to do that.” 

San spun the tablet back around and handed Seonghwa his receipt as he shook his head and spoke quickly. “I’m not being forced. I’m just more social than he is and he makes really good drinks. Therefore, the system ends up working out.”

The sandy blond raised an eyebrow, sensing that there was more going on with this Hongjoong than San was letting on. However, he decided not to pry, as obtaining his order took a much greater importance. If this Hongjoong didn’t want to talk to him, then Seonghwa would just ignore him right back. “Alright. Whatever you say, San. I’ll see you at the dance team competition, right?” 

“Of course! I have to compete after all. Oh, if the guys and I win, we were thinking that we would go out to dinner. We were thinking of that bunsikjip place that’s a little ways away from the stadium. Do you want to come along?” The other offered with a bright smile. 

Seonghwa considered the offer for a moment and then responded with a shrug. “Eh, why not. I’ll be done with my midterms by Saturday anyway.” 

“Great! See ya Saturday, then!” San called cheerfully before turning to the next customer who had come in. 

The law student wandered closer to the pickup counter and found his eyes following the red haired barista as he watched him prepare the drink. Even with his friend’s assurances, Seonghwa still found this Hongjoong character odd. Though he didn’t like interacting with people, the patron didn’t like how unfairly the other barista was being treated. Working in public service meant dealing with the public, didn’t it? If Hongjoong didn’t want to talk to people so badly, then why work in a coffee shop?

With this train of thought in mind, Seonghwa felt his lips tip up in a smirk. He leaned his back against the counter and waited patiently for Hongjoong to bring over his completed order. When the distracted barista set the pink colored drink down next to the bag containing Seonghwa’s pastries, the taller one reached over and grabbed his wrist.

The red haired man looked up in shock, obviously having not expected Seonghwa to grab him. The patron took his food in his free hand while at the same time releasing Hongjoong’s wrist to tug the cord of his right earbud. When he saw the white piece fall out of the other’s ear, he tilted his head and winked at the barista. 

“Thanks for making this. Keep up the great work.” Without waiting for a response, the student slowly sipped a bit of the smoothie, his eyes widening in delight at the sweet taste of it. He waved slightly to the employee who still stood frozen before Seonghwa turned on his heel and exited the coffee shop, a slight simper on his lips.

━━━━━━━⋅❃⋅✧⋅❃⋅━━━━━━━

#### Hongjoong

A wondrous assortment of colors surrounded Hongjoong as he worked his shift at the coffee shop. He was currently listening to yet another one of the songs Mingi had recommended to him a few hours earlier. It was a peaceful song by the same group as before called ‘I Won’t Let You Go.’ It was a syrupy song with dabs of zest in there from the rap and back beat. The mosaic of neutral colors mixed with a pastel palette were especially appealing to the musician.

He glanced over at the queue of white receipts to see which drink he had to prepare next. A white mocha frappuccino first and then a strawberry smoothie. Hongjoong raised an eyebrow at this request. It wasn’t exactly uncommon since the coffee shop did have fruity drinks on their menu, but as it was located on a college campus, coffee was a far more common choice by most of their customers. Many desperately needed the caffeine boost in order to survive the hell that was college lecture sessions.  
Deciding against questioning any further, he shrugged indifferently as he went about making both drinks, his lips moving along with the lyrics of the song he was listening to. It didn’t take much longer for him to finish preparing the drink and set it down on the counter for San to hand out to the respective customers. 

Before he could head away from the counter to take care of the next order, though, he felt a hand grab his wrist. The musician was barely able to register what was happening, his eyes widening when he saw a customer with sandy blond hair tug one his earbuds out of his ears. Instantly, colors and sensations exploded unpleasantly around him as the daily chatter of the coffee shop flooded his senses. Hongjoong winced instantly at the sudden overwhelming change and it took all of his self control to not shut his eyes completely or reach for his now missing earbud in a panic. 

Before he could do either of those things, though, the incompatible mess of hues and tints was suddenly pushed away and replaced with a kaleidoscopic mixture of primary colors and the sweet taste of strawberries as the man in front of him began to speak. “Thanks for making this. Keep up the great work.” Unlike the chatter before which had possessed harsh edges, the blend of this man’s voice was almost beautiful. Each primary color mixed beautifully and the colors blended further with each other. But as quickly as these tones appeared, they vanished as the customer who had already stopped talking and was walking out the door.

Hongjoong could only stare after him, still in a complete daze even as the cacophony of the coffee shop’s ambience flooded his senses again. He was only shaken out of it when he felt his missing earbud pressed into his ear. The hues he was seeing straightened out and the tune of the song he had been listening to previously graced his ears once again. The hands that he didn’t even know had been shaking calmed down slightly.

Somehow, even though the song hadn’t changed in the slightest, it seemed less blended than it had before. Hongjoong turned to his right when he felt the tap on his shoulder and saw San standing there with a very concerned expression on his face.

His friend pulled him quickly into the backroom of the coffee shop, only speaking once the closed door separated them from the customers outside and the chatter had faded to a slight murmur. Hongjoong cautiously pulled his earbuds out again and nodded a few seconds later to San. It was only after that nod that San began to speak. 

“Hyung, are you alright? Why was your earbud out? What happened?” The other questioned, his voice seasoned as usual but tinged with nectar due to his consternation showing through. The usual swirl of greens and purples accompanied his words.

Hongjoong quickly nodded, hoping to alleviate the other’s dismay. “I’m fine. Just... that last customer caught me off guard. He pulled the earbud out.” 

San’s mouth dropped open like he had just heard the world was ending. “Seonghwa did that? Aish, what was he thinking? Was the shop super overwhelming for you? The lunch rush just started.” His words came out in rapid fire, one sentence immediately following the other. It may not have been a good pace for the coworker, but the platinum blond was determined to get to the bottom of this situation.

Hongjoong wrinkled his nose slightly at the memory, distressed to be reliving it once again. “I was a little shocked for sure. Not the worst that’s ever happened, but it wasn’t pleasant either. It’s fine, though. He just didn’t know.” The musician then properly processed what his friend had said. “Wait, do you know him?” 

“Yeah, his name is Seonghwa.” He began to rub his neck. “He’s a good friend to Woo, Sangie, and I. He’s a law major that we ran into at a party,” the man quickly explained. 

Hongjoong tilted his head as he tested out the mysterious man’s name in his mind. Seonghwa, huh? It was a rather pretty name, fitting to its owner. Not to mention it seemed to roll off the tongue in a pleasant cadence, prompting the speaker to say it over and over again like a chant - a chant for only the most glorious of-

Realizing how deep he was falling into his flowery contemplation, he quickly locked those particular thoughts behind a mental door never to be opened again. Those kinds of impressions were dangerous, after all. Just like extreme sports, in a way; fun to dream about but deadly to act upon.

Love was just difficult for people like him, a mere illusion that could never be more than a dream. On top of his gustatory and visual associations with words and sounds, he succumbed to a great deal of fear and anxiety whenever he had to interact with people he wasn’t familiar with. 

It wasn’t always like this, of course. When he was younger he was quite open about what he saw around him, what he tasted and whatnot. He had had no idea that such thoughts and perceptions weren’t normal. To him it was an everyday occurrence, so like the innocent child he was, he assumed it happened to everyone. Hongjoong’s rudest awakening as a child was discovering that particular assumption was actually false and most everyone else in the world had a dull and flavorless palette when it came to sound.

Other children his age pegged him as the eccentric one, the weird one who tasted and saw things that he shouldn’t. This had left the young boy feeling very confused and misunderstood. He especially couldn’t wrap his head around how acting out imaginary scenarios in the park was acceptable behavior, but having creative perceptions was seen as a damper to their playtime. 

Since it was often human nature to either fear or ignore what they didn’t understand, Hongjoong was the blue lobster in the vast ocean of red ones. As a result, interacting with people in general became a struggle for him because they would never see eye to eye, regardless of whatever height discrepancy would ensue. 

As an added affliction, this also meant that regardless of what his heart pined after, he was certain that a lover would never find the patience to cope with both things at once. Lovers wanted casual partners who would do fun things and show themselves off, not self-conflicted partners who needed their quirks tended to. That was the sharp, jagged observation that he had come to accept over the years. 

“Hyung?” a gentle voice broke through.

The musician was suddenly dragged out of his lamentations when he was reminded he had yet to respond to San and had just been thinking quietly for he didn’t even know how long.

“Ah, interesting. I haven’t seen him around before,” Hongjoong responded, his voice tainted with awkwardness upon realizing the wait time. 

“He’ll be at the competition this weekend. I totally want to chew him out for what he did with your earbud. I told him not to mind the system that we have,” the other replied with a perturbed pout.

“Did he... complain about me or something?” Hongjoong asked with a raised eyebrow. There definitely was no point fawning over the man if he saw him as a disturbance right from the get-go. 

“Yeah, he apparently tried to get your attention while I was giving customers their orders. You obviously couldn’t hear him and I guess that annoyed him,” San said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I told him it was just part of our system and to not bother with it, so I can’t believe he interfered anyways. Can I chew him out, hyung?”

Hongjoong instantly shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly. “I appreciate the sentiment, San, but that would give me away. Just leave it alone. Besides, it’s not like this hasn’t happened to me before.” Except before wasn’t with a boy that had a lovely- no, he wasn’t going down that road again. 

“Alright, fine, fine. I’ll leave it be. I honestly don’t think Seonghwa would freak out or anything though. You’re not disabled, hyung, just different.” The platinum blond sighed dramatically. “Come back out whenever you’re ready. Xion and Leedo will be here soon to take over the shift.” 

The man with the red hair nodded in agreement, pulling his earbuds back up from where they were dangling and inserted them into his ears. The robust jingle of a new song hummed through them at an even volume. He flashed a thumbs up to his friend and it was only then that his friend exited the store room. 

His happy exterior faded once the other was out of view, though. He appreciated San’s support and reassurances about Seonghwa, but his fear of judgement was far too great. It didn’t matter how much anyone reassured him that there was nothing wrong with him, nor did it matter that others asserted the notion that his synthesia just made him unique and that he could just be himself around others. It was something that was much easier said than done, all things considered. 

Hongjoong sighed as he made his way to the fridge. They were out of milk up front anyways, so this was a good of a chance as any to restock. The only thing the musician could do is go back to focusing on his work and the song he had to finish. With a determined expression, he pushed all thoughts of Seonghwa and his unique colors far out of his mind even if he had to sacrifice some of his mental energy in the process. 

The only thing the producer knew he should focus on was his degree. Once he got his music out there in the world, then things would finally be perfect. That was all he needed in life. His dream would no longer be an illusion, he would make sure of it.

That was, if a certain Seonghwa didn’t obscure the neatly laid out path.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate all kudos and comments! The new chapter should be out in about a week. 
> 
> Come chat with me on Twitter. I post my different story ideas as well as notices about when a story gets updated on there. Always down to chat about my stories or to talk about possible story commissions.  
> Main Account: @SaoriTwilight  
> Writing Only Account: @SaoriA03


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